Out of the Rain
by Took-Baggins
Summary: twoshot. Staying at a tiny inn, the Elric brothers share a few moments.
1. Some Things Never Change

Really Long A/N Hey there! I'm Took! I'm definitely not new to the world of FMA, but I've never gotten around to writing for it. Seeing as I've been super productive lately, I decided to finally give it a shot!

This is a two-shot (with part two arriving very soon) that's set after the movie. Really, I wanted to do something with Ed and a human Al, and it's turned into this. I apologize if Al doesn't seem mature enough. I don't think he had enough screen-time for us to really see the extent to which he'd grown. He's more like he is in the series. Also, Ed may be slightly OOC (I'll let you guys be the judge of that).

Also, this is not Elricest. I don't much care for it. I don't think there's any mistaking that, but I thought I'd say it anyway.

I do love these little brotherly moments.

I think that's all the important stuff I needed to get out of the way...well, except for the disclaimer. I know that you know that none of this is mine. After all these years I'm a little tired of saying it... Wow, I'm rambling...I do that sometimes.

xXxXx

Part One - Some Things Never Change

"Are you sure that's all you have?" Edward Elric flipped through his wallet, noting unhappily that it was rather empty. He looked to the burly man behind the counter. "There aren't any...cheaper rooms? Maybe with two beds?"

"Thirty marks. With that you should be glad you're getting a room at all." Ed sighed, handing over the money. The man was right, this was the cheapest inn in town. One bed would have to do for them. The man grunted and passed him an old, worn key. "Upstairs, end of the hall."

Without a word of thanks, Ed turned to his brother. Alphonse held his coat close around him, soaked through from the rainy night outside. "Did you get a room, Brother?" the younger Elric asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Looks like we'll be bunkmates tonight, though."

Al smiled at his brother. "Like when we were little, huh?"

"Yeah." Ed bent to pick up their suitcase, casting a glance at his little brother. "Cold, Al?"

"Huh? Uh...yeah."

"Well it's no wonder, we've been running around in the rain all night. Let's go get into some dry clothes." They made their way up the battered old stairway and down a short hall. Ed fumbled with the handle for a moment, the ancient key fighting at the lock. Several minutes passed in silence, broken only by a murmur of rain from outside and the swearing of the elder Elric. Al watched him struggle in amusement.

"Here." he said, deciding that it had gone on long enough. Swatting his brother out of the way, he easily turned the key and pushed the door open with a smirk.

"Oh for crying out loud..."

"You're too rough, Brother." he smiled, allowing Edward to push past him with a grunt.

There wasn't much to the room: a chair, a radiator, a folding partition next the wall, and a single bed. It wasn't fancy, but it was dry. Ed deposited the suitcase on the bed, rifling through it and pulling out some clothes.

"At least there's heat and a window." Ed said, nodding towards the opening in the wall. Al glanced out, noting the dark alley below.

"Can I use the partition?" he asked, taking the proffered clothing with one hand while still holding his coat with the other. Ed shrugged, sending the younger Elric scurrying out of sight.

Away from his brother's watchful eyes, Alphonse let his coat fall open, gently pulling a bundle of fur out of his shirt. The tiny white kitten blinked up at him. _'What am I going to do with you?' _he thought, as he bundled it snugly into the dry shirt Ed had given him._'Brother will never let me keep you...'_ He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he watched the kitten curl happily into the fabric and begin to doze.

Swiftly, Al peeled away his wet clothing, letting it drop with a splat to the hardwood floor. He pulled on the dark trousers (his brother's, he noticed). Scooping the shirt into his arms, he pulled a fold of fabric over the kitten, sheltering it from view. "Brother, can I ask you something?" he asked as he stepped out from behind the partition.

Edward was standing at the window, absently buttoning his shirt as he stared out at the rain. He turned to Al, something close to a dismal look crossing his face. He made a mental note to get his little brother some clothes of his own...Edward's were slightly big on him.

"Sure thing, Al."

"Okay, well..." Al hesitated, trying to work out how to confess that he'd rescued another cat and beg to keep it all in the same statement. He stood in silence for several moments, Ed staring at him expectantly.

"Can...can I keep him? Please?"

"Keep what?" A knowing look clouded his face and he groaned when he saw Al's shirt wiggle a little. "Oh, Al..."

"Please, Brother? I'll take care of him!"

"Al, we don't have the money. How would you feed it?"

"I'd give it my food!"

"You're not giving it your food. Besides, we don't even have a home, where would it stay?" Al's face fell. Sadly he bowed his head, uncovering the little kitten and nuzzling his face into its fur. Edward moved to lay a hand on his shoulder, a soft sigh escaping him. He hated it when he had to do this. His little brother was so kindhearted, it tore him apart to see Al feel like he was abandoning something that needed him. The younger brother had tried everything he could think of to keep kittens in the past (some of them he had even named after his brother), but their situation had never allowed it.

Had they been settled down somewhere, Ed would have said yes in a heartbeat.

"Look, I'm sorry, Al. But...you need to get rid of it." Al stiffened, his head snapping up to stare at his brother in disbelief.

"W-What!? But, Brother! It's cold outside, and it's raining! He'll get sick, I can't put him out there, he...he needs me..." Al's voice had shrunk to a whisper. He gazed down at the little fluff ball, tears welling in his eyes as he pushed it into his brother's arms.

"Al! What are you-"

"I can't put him back out there. You do it." he wiped his arm across his eyes, disappearing back behind the partition.

Ed stared guiltily after his brother, his flesh hand scratching the kitten's head. It purred loudly as it leaned into his touch. He glanced towards the rain spattered window, before letting his eyes fall to the little bundle in his arms. The kitten began to swat and bite at his fingers playfully.

Al was probably right, it could end up sick out there. If its mother had already moved on to another alley...it was such a tiny thing. Al really had a knack for finding the pathetic ones. Edward gave a soft sigh, realizing that he didn't want to put it out in the rain either. Perhaps by morning the rain would be gone...

Silently, Ed moved closer to the partition, pausing to peek around the corner at his little brother. Al was crouched against the corner of the wall, his chin propped on his hand. He looked up as his brother approached him, the kitten offered in his outstretched hands.

"Brother...do you mean I can...?"

"Just for tonight."

One would have thought he'd said it could stay forever, the way Alphonse leapt to his feet. His arms bypassed the kitten, instead curling around his brother's torso. Edward couldn't help letting a fond smile creep across his face as he gently set the kitten on Al's hunched shoulder.

"What are you so happy about? It's only one night."

I know." Al released him, pulling the kitten into his arms and nuzzling it to his cheek. "But that means one less night little Nii-san has to stay in the rain."

"Nii-san? Al, you know that never works." Al merely grinned, pulling a face so much like his brother that the elder Elric turned away with a laugh.

"You get the wall."

"What? I had it last time!"

"I'm older, I decide who sleeps where."

"No way!" a bundle of wet clothes was suddenly shoved into Ed's face, his voice sounding in a muffled groan from behind the sopping mess. He peeled it away, his eyes falling across Al laying sprawled across the good side of the bed. He smirked at his big brother, curling into that same little ball he'd slept in since he was two. Little Nii-san was happily curled against the top of his head.

It was a sight Ed had waited years to see, one that he didn't think he'd ever get tired of: his brother...flesh and blood...happy. A warm feeling spread over him as he climbed over Al, and under the thin covers, making sure to kick him lightly with his real foot. Al grunted, kicking back good-naturedly. After a moment he straightened, turning vaguely in Ed's direction.

"Thank you, Brother."

"For what?"

"Nii-san."

"What kind of brother would I be if I didn't say yes once in a while?" Ed said, chuckling to himself.

"You'd still be the best kind there is." Ed turned to smile at his brother, but Al had already turned away, his arm reaching to extinguish the little bedside lamp.

Darkness enveloped them, and Ed smiled to himself, listening to his brother's breathing quietly even out. "Yeah, it's just like when we were little." he murmured, letting sleep overcome him. Unseen by the elder Elric, Al scooted closer to him and the same genuine smile played across both of their faces.


	2. Homesickness

A/N Part one got such an awesome response! Thanks everyone, you've really made me feel welcome in my new section!

Part two was actually written first, it's not quite as happy as the other. I set out for something that leaned toward AlWin, but it's also a bit EdWin. and both pairings are extremely light, since poor Winry isn't even there.

A note to MithLuin: no. Neither Elric has any intention of getting Ed's body back. At least, that was my impression of the end of the movie. That's what I'll be sticking with.

I hope you all like this part too, have fun reading! As always, feel free to point out any mistakes.

xXxXx

Part Two - "Homesickness"

Two months. It had been two months already since it had happened...since they finally found each other again. One would think, after that long, that Alphonse Elric would be starting to get used to this new life.

But he wasn't. Seeing a familiar face pass him unknowingly in the street still hurt. The strange way that this place worked confused him sometimes. Even with all that, the worst thing of all was Winry. Through the past two years he had gotten so used to having her to go back to. In his brother's absence they had needed each other. Winry for comfort, Al because no one else understood him anymore, not the way his brother had. Winry had been the closest thing to a sibling left to him.

Al sighed, his head dropping sideways against the rain spattered window. Pale light filtered in, falling across the bed at the back of the small room. His eyes followed the beam, glancing over the figure curled beneath the thin blanket. It was Ed.

The first few weeks Al had spent here, he hadn't given his home much thought. Having his brother again after so long had driven away his homesickness. Just knowing Edward was close to him...for a while it had been enough. As he had grown accustomed to his brother once more, it had come back to him. Homesickness...Winry-sickness...he wasn't entirely sure what it was.

Dimly he heard Ed stirring behind him, waking as he realized the body sharing his bed had gone. Al remained where he was, staring dismally through the blurry window pane. He listened as his brother moved toward him, one foot thunking lightly against the wood floor. He spared a glance toward his brother, a faint smile working its way onto his face as he noticed the white kitten trailing after Ed.

"Al, you're the one who picked this thing up, take it or it's going back outside." the younger brother chuckled at the empty threat, scooping the kitten into his arms. He'd found it in the street outside this little inn. The familiar scene had followed, with Al eventually pushing the poor kitten into his brother's arms.

Two minutes later, Edward had gone soft.

Ed dragged their suitcase from the corner, tilting it upright and sitting on the edge close to his brother. For a long while they sat in silence, listening to the pattering rain against the glass. Al had the kitten flipped onto its back, his fingers stroking the little thing's plump belly. Next to him, Ed was scrutinizing the fingers of his automail. It was the automail Winry had given him, the day they had returned through the gate. They didn't know what he was going to do with it, but until it wore out he was trying to be easy on it, hoping to keep it for as long as possible.

Al watched him from the corner of his eye. His brother's face was blank, his eyes hiding his emotion. The young Elric suspected that he too was sick for Winry. "Brother?" he broke the heavy silence, turning to look into the other's face. Ed slowly raised his eyes to meet his little brother's. "Did you miss it this much too?"

"Miss what?"

"...Everything." Ed sighed, his eyes falling back to the joints of his hand. He rubbed absently at the metal as he answered.

"To tell the truth, I didn't. For a while my main concern was for you. I had no way of knowing if it had worked, you know? I was alive, so I wondered if you had..." he trailed off, letting his hands fall to his lap. For a moment he couldn't look at his brother. "After a while, I began to miss using alchemy. All the time, I'd find myself thinking 'I should redo that, it won't work that way.' After that, my automail got busted up pretty bad. Once I'd started using Dad's prosthetics, it sunk in that I couldn't go see Winry anymore...let her fix everything the way she always did..." he fell silent again, turning to look at his younger brother. "Al, I...I miss her."

"Me too."

"I wish I'd gone to visit her more, maybe thanked her."

"She always took care of us, didn't she?"

"She sure did! Didn't manage to beat much sense into us though, did she?" Ed's tone changed and he gave a forced chuckle. He was reluctant to think too seriously on the girl. Nothing would come of it now. Al recognized his brother's defenses going up and stared at him knowingly.

"Ed..." the eldest quieted at the name, the grin sliding from his face. "You never liked to go back to Resembool because it upset Winry, huh?"

"I didn't want to go back for a lot of reasons."

"Brother..."

"Let's go back to bed." He rose, clearly wanting to end the conversation. Al followed, scooping the Nii-san off his lap. The little money they possessed had bought them a single bed for the night. Wordlessly they crawled under the cover together. The kitten pattered around their heads, stopping to paw at Edward's long hair. He swatted it away half-heartedly.

Al fidgeted around a little, turning on his side to stare at the back of his brother's head. At length he broke the silence that had fallen over them. "I'm sorry, Brother." Ed moved to look at him, his face vague and shadowed in the darkness.

"What for?"

"Upsetting you." A grimace crossed his face, and he lifted a hand to ruffle Al's short hair.

"It wasn't you. It's just thinking about them...it gets depressing."

"Brother?"

"Hmm?"

"Why_didn't_ we go home more?" Ed didn't answer right away. He turned onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. After awhile, he closed his eyes, a sigh escaping him.

"I guess...I just hated saying goodbye."

Al turned away from him, plucking the kitten from the pillows and cradling it against his chest. He curled into his brother's side, nestling his face against Ed's flesh arm.

"Brother, we won't have to say goodbye again, will we?"

Ed glanced at his little brother, a sad smile crossing his face.

"No, Al. Not anymore."


End file.
